Geist is the Canadian magazine of ideas and culture—every issue brings together a sumptuous mix of fact + fiction, photography and comix, poetry, essays and reviews, and the weird and wonderful from the world of words. The Geist tone is intelligent, plain-talking, inclusive and offbeat. At the heart of our enterprise is the imaginary country that some of us inhabit from time to time, and which often has something to do with Canada.
Please read our updated submission guidelines before submitting.
Submissions are currently open for our themed issue: A FOLD IN TIME: '90s.
To mark 35 years of Geist, we’re seeking submissions inspired by the 1990s—a decade caught between analog and digital worlds, rom-com optimism and millennial anxiety. What survives from that era in our attention spans, dreams, aesthetics, or modes of resistance? We want work that reflects, reimagines, repairs—or revels in the glittering angst of it all.
What we’re after
We invite writing that folds time, making the ’90s feel present, vital, its spirit rippling into the future. Excavate the cultural residue of the last century. Reclaim the art of waiting. Wander back inside the mall you thought was demolished. Reimagine the decade through surreal or speculative lenses, explore its obsolete visions of the future. Let time feel like friction, glitch, or ghost.
Deadline: August 1, 2025.
We'll reopen submissions later in the year for unthemed work.
Contests: We accept contest submissions from outside of Canada, with or without a Canadian connection.
Please format your manuscript as follows:
Word Count: insert word count at the top of the first page
Font: 12 point Times Roman
Line Space: 1.5
Margins: 1.25 inches
Page Numbers please, at the bottom right corner on every page
Include your street address in your cover letter.
Thank you for following these guidelines.
–The Editorial Team
Geist offers no-fee general submissions for Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of colour.
- Please note: It is our mandate to publish writers and artists from across Canada.
- Please submit one piece and wait to hear back from us before submitting more work.
- Geist buys First North American Serial Rights. We only accept work that is ORIGINAL and PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED. Copyright reverts to the author after publication.
- If your piece is selected for publication, you can expect to work with the editor-in-chief to revise and edit the piece in a manner consistent with the Geist house style, audience, as well as the author’s intention for the work. The editorial process may consist of several drafts and revisions until the piece is ready for publication.
- Your cover letter should include your name, complete mailing address and email.
NON-FICTION: We publish short (under 2000 words) non-fiction, usually personal narrative, in the Notes and Dispatches section. Longer (up to 5000 words) non-fiction pieces are published as Features. Send one piece at a time.
COMICS: We publish shorter comics in the Notes & Dispatches section, and publish longer comics as features, max. 8 pages. Send up to three strips or one longer comic at a time.
FICTION: We publish short stories (up to 5000 words) in the Features section. We usually publish one story per issue, so please send only your best work. Send one story at a time.
POETRY: Send a maximum of 5 poems, all in the same document. We publish 1-2 poems per issue.
HYBRID FORMS: We like work that crosses genres or that surprises us in other ways. Send us your photo essays, maps and poetry comics! Your interdisciplinary forms and your visual-textual mashups!
We publish short (up to 2000 words, flexible) non-fiction, usually personal narrative, in the Notes and Dispatches section. Longer (up to 5000 words) non-fiction pieces are published as Features. Send one piece at a time.
Please note: It is our mandate to publish writers and artists from across Canada.
Geist buys First North American Serial Rights. We only accept work that is ORIGINAL and PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED. Copyright reverts to the author after publication.
If your piece is selected for publication, you can expect to work with the editor-in-chief to revise and edit the piece in a manner consistent with the Geist house style, audience, as well as the author’s intention for the work. The editorial process may consist of several drafts and revisions until the piece is ready for publication.
Your cover letter should include your name, complete mailing address and email.
We publish shorter comics in the Notes & Dispatches section, and publish longer comics as features, max. 8 pages. Hybrid forms, e.g. poetry comics, are welcome. Send up to three strips or one longer comic at a time.
Please note: It is our mandate to publish writers and artists from across Canada.
Geist buys First North American Serial Rights. We only accept work that is ORIGINAL and PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED. Previously unpublished also means that the comic cannot appear on a personal blog, website or on social media.
Copyright reverts to the author after publication.
If your piece is selected for publication, you can expect to work with the editor-in-chief to revise and edit the piece in a manner consistent with the Geist house style, audience, as well as the author’s intention for the work. The editorial process may consist of several drafts and revisions until the piece is ready for publication.
Your cover letter should include your name, complete mailing address and email.
We publish short stories (up to 5000 words) in the Features section. We usually publish one story per issue, so please send only your best work. Send one story at a time.
Please note: It is our mandate to publish writers and artists from across Canada.
Geist buys First North American Serial Rights. We only accept work that is ORIGINAL and PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED. Copyright reverts to the author after publication.
If your piece is selected for publication, you can expect to work with the editor-in-chief to revise and edit the piece in a manner consistent with the Geist house style, audience, as well as the author’s intention for the work. The editorial process may consist of several drafts and revisions until the piece is ready for publication.
Your cover letter should include your name, complete mailing address and email.
Send a maximum of 5 poems, all in the same document. We publish 1-2 poems per issue.
Please note: It is our mandate to publish writers and artists from across Canada.
Geist buys First North American Serial Rights. We only accept work that is ORIGINAL and PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED. Copyright reverts to the author after publication.
If your piece is selected for publication, you can expect to work with the editor-in-chief to revise and edit the piece in a manner consistent with the Geist house style, audience, as well as the author’s intention for the work. The editorial process may consist of several drafts and revisions until the piece is ready for publication.
Your cover letter should include your name, complete mailing address and email.
Submit your entry to the 20th Annual Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest by following the contest guidelines.
Please make sure the cover letter field includes your mailing address, telephone number and email address. Even though you have already entered this information when creating your Submittable account, we still need it to appear in the cover letter.
Judging is blind, so please do not write your name on your entry.
The deadline is EXTENDED to July 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM PDT.
You will be asked to pay the entry fee before submitting your work. You can then enter the name of your submission and fill in the cover letter field, and then attach your entry. You will only be allowed to attach two files: your story and your postcard.
Please only use this category if you have already submitted your first Postcard Story Contest entry. This category should only be used for additional entries.
Those who attempt to use this category fraudulently will be disqualified.
Please check our Postcard Contest FAQ or email geist@geist.com if you have any questions about entering the contest.